Casting underway for Ariel Castro movie

Casting is now underway to turn the story of Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro into Lifetime television movie.

"House of Cards" star Kate Mara is slated to play Michelle Knight and possible contenders to play Castro include Emilio Estevez.

The movie will be based on Knight's book, which is due out next month.

Survivors Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry have also signed a book deal to tell their story with Mary Jordan, a Pulitzer Prize winner and a former Clevelander.

Castro was sentenced to life, plus 1,000 years, for kidnapping and sexually assaulting Berry, Knight and DeJesus while holding them captive in his Seymour Avenue house for over a decade.

Castro used a bed sheet to hang himself in his cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Pickaway County, on September 3. He had been there one month.

Below is a statement from the attorneys of Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus:

"It is unfortunate when third parties choose to exploit these brave women for private gain. Amanda and Gina have had - and will have - absolutely nothing to do with this movie project. They have chosen to tell their own story in their own way through a book that they are deeply engaged in writing. By telling their story in this way, they are in complete control, which means everything to them. We will have more to say about that in the near future."

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